PAST EVENTS
Afghanistan
Afghanistan with Ambassador Peter Galbraith, the Honorable Mike Rogers, and Matt Zeller as we explore the consequences -humanitarian, security, political - of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Moderated by Felicia Taylor.
About The Event
20 Years, 2 Trillion dollars and countless lives - was it finally time to leave Afghanistan? Join The Common Good as we explore the consequences -humanitarian, security, political - of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Wednesday, August 25th, 2021
5:00pm EST - 6:00pm EST
WATCH:
LISTEN:
Click to listen to our podcast, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode!
Peter W. Galbraith is a former US Ambassador to Croatia and Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations in Afghanistan. He is the author of two books on the Iraq War, The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End and Unintended Consequences: How War in Iraq Strengthened America’s Enemies.
Mike Rogers is a former member of Congress representing Michigan's Eighth Congressional District, officer in the U.S. Army, and FBI special agent. He is a highly sought-after expert on national security issues, intelligence affairs, and cybersecurity policy. He advises multiple boards and academic institutions, working to enhance America’s strength and security. Mike built a legacy as a tireless and effective leader on counterterrorism, intelligence and national security policy from his years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he chaired the powerful House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
Matt Zeller is a consultant in Washington, DC. He is the author of Watches Without Time (Just World Books, 2012), a vivid description of what he experienced while serving as an embedded combat adviser with the Afghan security forces in Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 2008. Matt is a Captain in the US Army Reserve and a former officer of the Central Intelligence Agency. He was the Democrat candidate for Congress in 2010 in NY’s 29th Congressional District.
Felicia Taylor is a retired anchor-correspondent formerly for CNN International’s World Business Today has contributed to the Business Updates unit for CNN. She was the co-host of Retirement Living TV’s Daily Cafe until November 2009. She joined WNBC in 1998 and left in September 2006. Felicia Taylor has covered pivotal moments in history including the Gulf War, Black Monday, the top 5 largest point drops on the Dow, the demise of Long Term Capital Management, the sub-prime mortgage meltdown, the demise of Bear Sterns and the global financial crisis beginning in 2008.
A Conversation with America’s Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton
The Common Good presents, A Conversation with America’s Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton. Moderated by best selling author, Ken Auletta.
About The Event
There is perhaps no greater authority on policing in America than Bill Bratton. But Bill Bratton is not only an expert on policing, he was also in the key position to assist in combating terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and subsequent terror threats in New York and Los Angeles.
Join The Common Good as Ken Auletta, best-selling author extraordinaire and famed columnist for The New Yorker, leads a conversation with Commissioner Bratton on Bratton’s new book, “The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America” as a jumping off point.
We’ll look at Bratton’s extraordinary career, how policing has changed (for good and bad) over the years, and get his thoughts on national security more generally. Bratton was known for improving community relations with the police and significantly reducing crime rates. How did he do it? Can we do it again? With crime rates rising, particularly violent crime, we need to know. Don’t miss this essential conversation.
During a 46-year career in law enforcement Bill Bratton, ever results-driven, instituted progressive change while leading six police departments, including seven years as Chief of the Boston and Los Angeles Police Departments and two nonconsecutive terms as the Police Commissioner of the City of New York. He is the only person ever to lead the police agencies of America’s two largest cities. In the words of our Honorary Advisory Board member and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Bill Bratton is “America’s police commissioner.”
Wednesday, July 28 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm ET
WATCH:
LISTEN:
Click to listen to our podcast, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode!
Commissioner Bratton was the 42nd police commissioner of the City of New York from January 2014 to September 2016. It was the second time he had held the post. During that time, he oversaw 32 months of declining crime, including historic lows for murders and robberies. Commissioner Bratton spearheaded a major technological overhaul, the Mobile Digital Initiative, which gave a smartphone with custom-designed apps to every officer and put a tablet in every patrol car.
Commissioner Bratton also implemented major reforms to the NYPD’s counterterrorism program by developing two new units—the Critical Response Command (CRC) and the Strategic Response Group (SRG)—which now provide the city with more than 1,000 highly trained and properly equipped officers who are dedicated to counterterrorism, large-scale mobilizations, site security, and rapid deployment citywide.
In the 1990s, Commissioner Bratton established an international reputation for re-engineering police departments and fighting crime. As Chief of the New York City Transit Police, Boston Police Commissioner, and in his first term as New York City Police Commissioner, he revitalized morale and cut crime in all three posts, achieving the largest crime declines in New York City’s history. As Los Angeles Police Chief from 2002 to 2009, in a city known for its entrenched gang culture and youth violence, he brought crime to historically low levels, greatly improved race relations, and reached out to young people with a range of innovative police programs.
Ken Auletta is an acclaimed journalist who has been a pillar at The New Yorker magazine since 1992, writing columns under Annals of Communication and major pieces on a variety of major personalities and trends. Auletta has profiled the leading figures and companies of the Information Age, including Google, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, AOL Time Warner, John Malone, Harvey Weinstein, the New York Times, Sheryl Sandberg and Facebook; he has dissected media meteors that fell to earth, probed media violence, the political giving of communication giants, and explored what "synergy" may mean to journalism. His 2001 profile of Ted Turner won a National Magazine Award as the best profile of the year. He covered the Microsoft antitrust trial for the magazine. In ranking him as America's premier media critic, the Columbia Journalism Review concluded, "no other reporter has covered the new communications revolution as thoroughly as has Auletta." New York Magazine described him as the "media Boswell."
In addition to his fine reporting and writing at The New Yorker, Auletta is the author of twelve books, including five national bestsellers: Three Blind Mice: How the TV Networks Lost Their Way; Greed And Glory On Wall Street: The Fall of The House of Lehman; The Highwaymen: Warriors of the Information Super Highway; World War 3.0: Microsoft and Its Enemies; and Googled, The End of the World As We Know It, which was published in November of 2009. His other books include: Backstory: Inside the Business of News; Media Man: Ted Turner’s Improbable Empire; The Streets Were Paved with Gold; and The Underclass. His twelfth book, Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (And Everything Else), was published in June 2018.
Be sure to check out Auletta’s 2015 article on Bratton entitled,“Fixing Broken Windows”
The Rise and Threat of Right Wing Domestic Terrorism
Understanding the rise and threat of right-wing domestic terrorism with former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, retired FBI agent turned scholar Michael German, Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, and Professor Robert Pape.
ABOUT THE EVENT
According to the Department of Homeland Security, "domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal, persistent terrorism-related threat to our homeland today." Join our stellar group as they discuss this metastasizing threat, and what can be done to fight it.
Thursday, May 20th, 2021
5:00pm-6:00pm EST
LISTEN:
WATCH:
Click to listen to our podcast, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode!
Jeh Johnson served as President Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this, he served as General Counsel for the Department of Defense, acting as one of the legal architects for the US military’s counter-terrorism mission.
Michael German is a former FBI agent and current fellow with the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty & National Security Program. At the FBI, German specialized in domestic terrorism, often going undercover to investigate violent white supremacist organizations.
Robert Pape is the Director of the Chicago Project on Security & Threats, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, Pape is considered one of the world’s foremost experts in terrorism studies.
As Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal and his team combat extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate in the real world and online. Recognized as the foremost authority on extremism, the Center provides resources, expertise and training which enables law enforcement, public officials and internet and technology companies to identify and counter emerging threats.
The Common Good is pleased to announce that we’re reteaming with CSPAN to air this event.
"Longest War - How Do We End It?" with Ret. Col. Christopher Kolenda & Secretary Jeh Johnson
For Nearly two decades America has been in war with Afghanistan. The Common Good was joined by Ret. Colonel Chris Kolenda, the man who pioneered a new approach to counterinsurgency, led soldiers in successful battles against the Taliban and was later hand picked by the US government to be involved in early talks with the Taliban. We covered the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.
For Nearly two decades America has been in war with Afghanistan. The Common Good was joined by Ret. Colonel Chris Kolenda, the man who pioneered a new approach to counterinsurgency, led soldiers in successful battles against the Taliban and was later hand picked by the US government to be involved in early talks with the Taliban. We covered the impact of the war, how it can be ended, and recent events with our military that have made headlines. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.
Watch the video below:
Ret. Colonel Christopher Kolenda recently served as the Senior Advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan to Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy, and three 4* Generals in Afghanistan. He was decorated with the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award for his work on strategy. In 2007-08, he commanded an 800-solider task force in Kunar and Nuristan provinces where he pioneered an innovative approach to counterinsurgency in one of the most violent areas of the country. His unit is the only one in the history of the war to have motivated a large insurgent group to stop fighting and join the government. His advice has been adopted by three Secretaries of Defense and the President of the United States. He was selected to be the Secretary of Defense’s representative in exploratory talks with the Taliban from 2010-2013. He is the only American to have fought the Taliban in combat and engaged them in high-level diplomacy.
He is the founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, which helps nonprofits and small businesses maximize their impact by developing their Leadership, Culture, and Strategy. He is the editor and coauthor of Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has appeared on the professional reading lists of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. His most recent book, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, maps the journey of a leader in a difficult and dangerous conflict.
Secretary Jeh Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16. Between 2013 and 2017 he served as Secretary of Homeland Security. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counter terrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.
In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.
"Coming Back from Crisis" with Governor Larry Hogan and Former Secretary Jeh Johnson
Governor Larry Hogan joined The Common Good for a conversation to discuss the pandemic. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, the two discussed the state and federal response; unrest, racism and police brutality. Join us for expert insights into the 2020 political landscape and the direction of our country as well as many other issues of national interest.
Governor Larry Hogan joined The Common Good for a conversation to discuss the pandemic. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, the two discussed the state and federal response; unrest, racism and police brutality. Join us for expert insights into the 2020 political landscape and the direction of our country as well as many other issues of national interest.
WATCH:
LISTEN:
Click to listen to our podcast, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode!
Governor Larry Hogan is a lifelong Marylander who is the son of Congressman Lawrence Hogan (MD-5). As a young man, Governor Hogan worked on his father’s campaigns, at first stuffing envelopes and knocking on doors, and eventually helping to manage them. .Hogan continued to work for his father when he was County Executive of Prince George's County.
He later went to create a real estate firm which quickly became the leading land development firm in the state of Maryland, focusing on economic development and bringing hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs to the state. In 2011, Hogan founded the grassroots organization Change Maryland. What began as an idea between a few friends quickly grew into the largest grassroots organization in State history and the leading voice of support for tax relief, responsible budgeting, and economic growth.
Governor Hogan was elected in 2014 and became the first Republican Governor to be re-elected for a second term in half a century. He has received mass praise for his work towards bipartisanship, being efficient, and always putting the needs of Maryland families and businesses first. Its main focus is to get the State’s budget under control, eliminate waste and abuse in State government, provide tax relief to struggling Marylanders, and bring jobs and businesses back to the State.
Secretary Jeh Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16. Between 2013 and 2017 he served as Secretary of Homeland Security. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counter terrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.
In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.
The States’ Response to the Coronavirus: How do we re-open?
The Common Good presented the first in a new series of conversations with top U.S. Leaders. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson headed our critical Coronavirus discussion with Governor Ned Lamont. (D-CT) The discussion dove into urgent topics such as the re-opening of the economy, protecting human lives and what our new normal will look like.
The Common Good presented the first in a new series of conversations with top U.S. Leaders. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson headed our critical Coronavirus discussion with Governor Ned Lamont. (D-CT) The discussion dove into urgent topics such as the re-opening of the economy, protecting human lives and what our new normal will look like.
WATCH:
LISTEN:
Click to listen to our podcast, and make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a new episode!
About Gov. Ned Lamont:
Lamont got involved in public service shortly after college, founding a weekly newspaper in a town hit by the loss of its largest employer. Covering town meetings and the Board of Selectmen, he helped to bring voice and transparency to a community working to recover from job losses and reinvent itself. He would later go on to start his own business, taking on the large and established giants of the telecom industry. Under his vision and stewardship, the company grew to serve over 400 of America's largest college campuses and 1 million college students across the nation.
He received the 2006 Democratic nomination for senator, against incumbent Joe Lieberman. Lamont won the 2018 Gubernatorial election for Connecticut and has started working on his plans to implement electronic tolls on state highways, taxing online streaming services, restoring the property tax credit, increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, instituting paid family and medical leave,. During this epidemic he holds daily briefings and provides vital updates on how the state is combating COVID-19.
About Secretary Jeh Johnson:
Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counterterrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.
In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.
Special Discussion with Michael Morell - March 1, 2018
The Common Good was pleased to present an important off-the-record conversation with Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA, with Jeh Johnson, former Security of Homeland Security. Morell discussed the most worrying dangers to national security and how current US policy does not align well to meet these perils.
The Common Good was pleased to present an important off-the-record conversation with Michael Morell, former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the CIA, with Jeh Johnson, former Security of Homeland Security.
Morell discussed the most worrying dangers to national security and how current US policy does not align well to meet these perils. He will cover global conflict zones from China, North Korea, Russia and Middle East with particular emphasis on the rising threats from the Pacific Rim area.
Michael Morell is the former CIA Acting Director and Deputy Director, has a great depth of experience in intelligence and foreign policy with over three decades in the CIA. He has receiver the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Agency’s highest honor, for his role in the successful operation to take down Osama bin Laden, and authored the New York Times best-seller The Great War Of Our Time. He is also a Senior National Security Contributor for CBS News and a regular op-ed writer on foreign policy, as well as a member of the council on Foreign Relations and American Economic Association.
Interested in attending future events?
The Russia Investigation with Congressman Adam Schiff and Secretary Jeh Johnson
Newsmaker and rising congressional leader, Congressman Adam Schiff, appeared with special host & TCG Honorary Board Member Secretary Jeh Johnson for an elegant luncheon and briefing. Congressman Schiff, the Ranking Minority Member on the House Intelligence Committee and Russia Investigation Task Force, gave the latest on the Russia election interference probe, the growing threat to liberal democracies from a rise in authoritarianism, prospects for the Midterm elections, and many other consequential topics.
Newsmaker and rising congressional leader, Congressman Adam Schiff, appeared with special host & TCG Honorary Board Member Secretary Jeh Johnson for an elegant luncheon and briefing. Congressman Schiff, the Ranking Minority Member on the House Intelligence Committee and Russia Investigation Task Force, gave the latest on the Russia election interference probe, the growing threat to liberal democracies from a rise in authoritarianism, prospects for the Midterm elections, and many other consequential topics. Financial advisor Peter Maroney and TCG Founder Patricia Duff co-hosted the event.
listen:
WATCH:
Congressman Adam Schiff is the Ranking Minority Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and spearheads the Russia Investigation Task Force. As the U.S. Representative for California’s 28th District, Schiff has focused on growing the economy, bolstering national security, strengthening our communities, helping small businesses, and improving education, safety and health care. In his 9th term, Schiff served as State Senator for California’s 21st District, chairing the Judiciary Committee, the Select Committee on Juvenile Justice and the Joint Committee on the Arts. Before serving in the Legislature, Schiff served with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in LA for six years.
Former Secretary Jeh Johnson has distinguished himself in both public service and private corporate law practice. He served in the Obama cabinet as Secretary of Homeland Security (2013-2017) with vast responsibilities for homeland security, immigration, natural disaster relief, and many other critical policy areas. Prior to becoming Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012) and General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force under President Clinton (1998-2001). Earlier in his career, he was Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1989-1991). Currently, he is a partner with the law firm of Paul Weiss. We are honored to have added Secretary Johnson to The Common Good Honorary Advisory board this year.
Interested in attending future events?
The Common Good has been hosting events since 2006 that cover important issues of today, highlighting speakers who have worked to bolster our democracy and can provide great insight on the issues that matter.